Chapter 6: The Beaver & the Ferret Call A Truce

Dedicated to AccioDreams because she is a wonderful fan and just made my day =)

Just like I promised, this chapter is considerably longer than the rest (actually its my longest chapter so far), and I posted the picture I drew of Tom Felton (its the one on the side, obviously)...

I am too tired and sleep deprived to ramble on like I usually do...so...

Enjoy (see I'm too tired to even put the exclamation mark that I always put o.O)

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Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same. -- Anonymous

As Hermione put the Filet Mignon into the oven, she wondered for the millionth time if she was overreacting. Or going through some strange form of Weasley withdrawal symptoms. She had spent the entire day cleaning her apartment and cooking a seven course meal. After she set the food to cook, she changed into a pretty pink dress she had bought with Draco, arranged her hair into soft curls and put on minimal makeup.

"I have officially lost my marbles. Every single last one of them. Otherwise why would I cook a seven course meal and dress up for dinner with a Malfoy? A dinner at which he probably wont even show up. I’m going to end up eating a seven-course meal with Crookshanks. What is wrong with me? Why am I so miserable? I bet even Lavender isn’t as miserable as I am. Who am I kidding, I’m more miserable than Moaning Myrtle. All I need now is my own personal U-bend, then I’d be giving Myrtle a run for her money." Hermione’s pleasant thoughts were interrupted by her doorbell.

"Coming!" she called out as she flew (not literally) to the door.

On the other end of the door, Draco was nervously tugging on his tie, wondering if he was making a fool of himself. He was dressed in black slacks with a white shirt and a black tie. And in his hands were two boxes and a bouquet of pink roses.

"I am an idiot. Why did I have to dress up like I’m on a date or something? And why did I bring effing flowers? Why did I even come in the first place? Actually, why am I even worried about this? I’m a Malfoy, I can handle it."

Just as the thoughts passed his head, the door opened, and Draco’s mind immediately went blank. He had always known that Hermione was beautiful, long before the Yule Ball, when everyone else realized it. But today, she looked absolutely breathtaking. Draco was wonderstruck. He mentally slapped himself and cockily asked, "Missed me, Granger?"

"Of coarse, I did! Almost as much as I miss Moaning Myrtle," she replied as she moved aside to let him in. "Aww! The flowers are beautiful. Thank you."

"What makes you think they are for you?" smirked Draco. "I brought them for Crookshanks."

For the first time today, a smile appeared on Hermione’s face. "Well I’m sure Crookshanks will love it. He has a thing for pink roses, you see," she said in a mock serious tone.

"And I brought desert. Well the Mascarpone and Strawberry Trifle is for dessert. I brought the cake because I felt like it."

"Thank you. Oooh. What flavor did you get?" Hermione asked as she placed the desserts in the refrigerator.

"Lets see. Double fudge German chocolate cake with homemade masacarpone cream cheese frosting with chocolate chunks. And caramel bites," Draco said as he ticked each one of them off on his fingers.

Hermione looked at Draco with a strange look on her face. "You remembered."

"Well, its not really easy to forget, is it?" Draco said uncomfortably as they both remembered the multitudes of times Draco snuck into Hogsmeade to get it for her whenever she was upset. Most of these times, it was Ron who had made her upset.

"Thank You," she said quietly.

"So, why did you ask me to come? Were you just missing my general sexiness and couldn’t wait to see my devastatingly beautiful face, or is it something else?" Draco asked in an attempt to palliate the tension in the air.

"Always so full of yourself, aren’t you Malfoy?" asked Hermione with a smile on her face.

"Well, what can I say? I don’t brag, I just state the obvious," Draco claimed as he pretended, and failed, to look modest. "So, which one is it?"

"Um...It’s the second," she said with a sad look in her eyes, crushing Draco’s hopes of palliating the tangible graveness that filled the air. After a pause she began, "The Weasleys have thing, a family dinner, each month, when all the Weasleys come and have dinner together." Hermione paused for a second before continuing. "Ever since we graduated from Hogwarts, I’d gone to every single one of them. Mr and Mrs. Weasley have always seen me as a daughter so I was always invited. Still am now. You probably don’t see why I’m so worked up over this. Its just that I was about to be a real Weasley, you know? Though I cant really imagine how you’d know, considering that you never wanted to marry Ron. At least I don’t think you did."

"I had been looking forward to this for quite a while now. Nine years actually."A single tear made it’s way from her hazel eyes and down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away with the back of her had and continued. "It’s just kind of hard to come in terms with the fact that it will never happen. I’m sorry that you had to hear me rant about it. Merlin’s beard! I sound pathetic, don’t I? I sound as pathetic as Lavender!"

"I’m not saying this to change your mind or affect your decision in anyway. But in all the failed relationships I’ve seen, there has always been one that leaves and one that cries with a broken heart," Draco said with a hard look in his eyes. "And Hermione, it has always been clear what role you play."

As Hermione let his wash over her, one thing stood out to her. "You called me Hermione," she exclaimed with a surprised look on her face.

"Well, that’s your name, isn’t it?" said Draco as he rolled his eyes. "So who is Lavender? Wait, are you referring to that irritating colorful girl form Gryffindor?"

"The colorful girl?" questioned Hermione.

"Yeah. That’s what Blaise and I used to refer to her as." After seeing Hermione’s still confused look, he continued. "Her name. Its two colors: Lavender and Brown." Finally a look of understand passed Hermione’s eyes and she burst out laughing.

"Honestly, Hermione, if you were any slower, you’d be going backwards."

And this caused Hermione to fall into another fit of laughter and soon Draco joined in.

"Why—are—we—laughing? It—wasn’t—that funny!" Hermione chocked out between fits of laughter.

After ten more minutes of laughing hysterically, they both calmed down. "You know what, Draco?" Hermione asked, feeling a flutter in her stomach when saying "Draco" after four years. "As much as I hate to say it, I actually missed you. Its nice having you back."

"So, are you suggesting that we can a truce, Beaver?" Draco smirked, imitating the way she had asked him this question four years ago.

"Yes, that is exactly what I’m suggesting, Ferret," Hermione replied using the same reply he had used four years ago.

Once again the two of them burst into laughter simultaneously as they both remembered the night they had called the truce.

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